A Brush of Angel's Wings
For some reason I've always been a night time prayer person. Perhaps it could be that is when things settle down enough for me to be able to begin and focus for a length of time.
Whatever the reason, several times after spending time in prayer, I have lain down and closed my eyes to go to sleep only to be startled by what sounds and feels like a sudden fluttering of a bird’s wings and feathers brushing on each side of my face. My heart would pound in my chest and I knew I wasn’t alone in my bedroom.
The Bible teaches us that we are surrounded by a spiritual world in which we ‘wrestle’ with its inhabitants.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.[ Ephesians 6:12 ]
The Bible also teaches us that God’s angels are ‘ministering’ beings sent to minister to believers, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? [ Hebrews 1:14 ].” Until now, I really didn’t think that much about these occurrences. I knew about the evil spirits we wrestle with but I didn’t know much about angels and how they operate.
In Daniel 9, starting at verse 20 we read how Daniel was in prayer and the angel Gabriel was “sent” because of his supplication.
20Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved;
In Daniel 10, we read an amazing account of the angel Gabriel again being sent because of Daniel’s prayer—only this particular time Gabriel was “withstood” 21 days by the prince of Persia that he could not get through to Daniel. Now there are many things I could go into and take this discussion of angel’s and spirits, but I wonder what would’ve happened if Daniel only prayed and fasted for 7 days, or 14 days? What caused Michael to finally come and help Gabriel? I wonder how many times God has heard our prayers, sent His angels, to have them withstood by the enemy and while they are being withstood we give up on what we’re praying for?
Jesus said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. [ Mark 11:24 ]”, to “Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened [ Matthew 7:7 AMP ].”
God is not a liar. When we pray our words do not fall on deaf ears. He acts and watches over His word to perform it. If we’re praying for something, perhaps we should “keep on” keeping on with our prayer until God’s message reaches us, knowing that it could be delayed by the enemy. Refuse to give up no matter how long it takes. We need to be aware of more than our natural circumstances, we need to have sort of a ‘spiritual awareness’ that our prayers are affecting the unseen spiritual world around us and when the time comes, the message comes, faith brings forth God’s blessing into the natural realm.
